Stereotypes During The American Revolution

When it comes to the topic of the American Revolution most have been educated about the significant battles of the war, and the overall outcome. However, submerged beneath the details of war are the individual stories of those living in the colonies. In Rae Raphael’s book, A People’s History of the American Revolution, the personal stories and experiences of the “common folk” are brought back to the surface for the first time. Recounting these personal stories utilizing primary literature provides a necessary accuracy in portraying this time period. The experiences of farmers, laborers, women, Native Americans, and slaves, among others are used to highlight the effects of the revolution caused by the historically overlooked people inhabiting the colonies.

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War in the United States, was the prosperous military revolt against Great Britain of Thirteen American Colonies which joined together as the United States of America in July 1776. Originally constrained to fighting in those colonies, after 1778 it additionally became a world war between Britain and France, Netherlands, Spain, and Mysore.

Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolutions. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992.

The American Revolution was a political separation between Britain and the original Thirteen Colonies. It occurred between the years 1765 and 1783, resulting in a lot of bloodshed and casualties. With tension building between the two powers, the revolution was a battle that formed what America is today. The Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, and the many taxes imposed are factors to what lead the colonists to form together and fight Britain. The reason why America won against its former owner is because of the alliance with France, the knowledge of the terrain, and the determination that the soldiers had.

There are numerous misconceptions, inaccurate quotations, and utter lies told about the American Revolution that it is creates a challenge for those who analyze the period and share their knowledge with other individuals. One of the many myths regarding revolution is that The Americans won the war because of their well-planned Guerrilla Tactics. Parliament was imposing numerous taxes on American Colonists, they despised the British for this, more so because they did not have a voice in government while still having to pay taxes (taxation without representation). In 1765, the British Parliament imposed the Stamp Act on all Colonists; a first attempt at raising revenue. This absurd law taxed colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and dice. The colonists were furious because they had no say in the

Propaganda can be a very powerful force that motivates people to accomplish monumental feats. The colonists of America used that power of propaganda to do just that. They created propaganda that swept through the colonies so it would have a greater social effect, informed the colonists of the tyranny of Britain, and pushed the colonies towards unity against an unfair government. Therefore, colonial propaganda of the American Revolution provided the extra, but necessary, push the colonies needed to fight for their independence from Britain.

While many historians might argue that the American Revolution was not so revolutionary in its nature, there is no denying the lasting effects that it has had not only on the continent, but the world. Through an analysis of documents from this period and the social, political, and economic changes that occurred in the colonies, it is clear that the colonial governmental system was radically changed during this time period. The political ideas that emerged from this revolution have shaped modern democratic governments for years, coupled with the advancement of other Enlightenment ideals.

The American Revolution was the beginning of a new country, and in result, a new people. The society of America was drastically effected, and it became very different from the other european countries. The new thinking of the citizens, and the political leaders resulted in a change in the social, political, and economic make up of American society.

Following the Revolutionary War, the colonies sent delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. In attendance at this convention were fifty-five delegates from all 13 colonies few of these men were of ordinary means. These delegates had different views on what should happen with slavery, how congress would be set up, and with the act of election. Those in attendance compromised on all of these issues in ways different that were considered best for all the colonies.

The Colonists used propaganda to influence others to join in their rebel against England. They used the political cartoon of the snake, and the Boston Massacre engraving to make people believe that the British Government were the bad guys. By showing people cartoons of the separated colonies and the murders of colonists by British soldiers, the colonists were able to make people join the rebel against England. The images and cartoons that they used, though, were biased against England, which made it much easier for the colonists to influence people to join their side. The snake cartoon made the colonists believe that Britain was separating the colonies, not joining them together. Also, the Boston Massacre image made people believe that the soldiers fired into the crowd for no reason at all. Both of these are pieces of propaganda that

The American Revolution was a gradual and inevitable departure from which the colonists felt they could not avoid. American colonists took many preliminary acts of rebellion and warning, such as boycotting taxed goods and the “Petition to the King”, before any major fighting had occurred.

The British did not use what little “fans” they did have to fight in the revolutionary war. The colonists immediately assumed that the war would be over quick with no problems they thought that the colonist would be no problem. What they did is they decided that they should capture Boston, it was a vital port for the colonists it would weaken the colonists, but after the battle of bunker hill they figured out that this strategy was no good. After the British lost the battle of Saratoga the colonist, who had no navy and untrained troops, started receiving help from foreign countries. It made them look more powerful and feared in the eyes of the British.

Leading up to the American Revolution, were a chain of events that created a spark in the colonists to obtain independence from Great Britain. The American Revolution could not be tied to one single event but instead by the feelings and determination brought on by this chain of disgraceful actions. Gordon S. Wood explains what he believes caused the rebellion of the American colonists from Great Britain and how those causes help explain the outcomes of the revolution in his essay, “Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution.” Wood argues that the colonists were motivated to rebel against the British monarchy due to their need to preserve their liberties and through this revolution a radical change in government and American life occurred.

The reason I chose the American Revolution as my topic was mainly because to me I thought it was very relevant subject to speak upon and not many of us have knowledge of how we even became the United States of America. Basically the American Revolution was one of many steps taken to develop our democracy type of government that we do have today. Also it tells about how the original thirteen broke away from the British harsh government taxes. To be honest I chose this topic simply because it was and I’ve done a report on this back in grade school. These are the causes that led up to the war (not the signing because its already prior knowledge)

The American Revolution was predicated by a number of ideas and events that, combined, led to a political and social separation of colonial possessions from the home nation and a coalescing of those former individual colonies into an independent nation.